Nephilim
by Zandrellia
Summary: When told she had the opportunity to help, Kagome Higurashi didn't even blink before agreeing to do so. Would she regret her decision after finding out who the "troublemaker" she's supposed to help is?
1. Chapter 1

Obligatory Disclaimer: I clearly do not own any of the characters within (even those who may or may not be originals), any of the settings, concepts, or other potentially copy-written works within this piece. I am merely a vessel; A messenger who conveys a story, nothing more, nothing less.

* * *

"Kagome! Kagome!" Someone cried from within a cave, their voice distant and echoing as she gasped and suddenly opened her eyes to a blinding light. Wincing, she brought her hands up to block her face as she attempted to acclimate to the light.

"It is rather bright here. Give yourself the chance to adjust." A gentle masculine voice said and Kagome blinked a few more times before finally looking at the scene before her. She stood on a floating platform, well… it was more like a rock, if she was being honest… which led to another larger rock, and another and another as far as her eyes could see. In the faint distance there was a floating castle, birds flying about it as the clouds lazily rolled by. The sky was a pale blush of pinks and oranges, a lovely scene in all.

It was not where she had been just moments earlier when she closed her eyes.

Frowning, Kagome looked to the man standing before her. He seemed to be Chinese at first glance, but his clothing and appearance actually was a mixture of various Asian cultures. He had long black hair, a white fan in his right hand, and was rubbing his lengthy goatee with the left. A mischievous grin was on his face, which Kagome wasn't sure endeared her to him or made her more wary. "Where am I?" She finally broached.

The man, which she couldn't tell if he was old or young, laughed heartily and waved at her with his left hand, bringing her closer before leaning in as if he was about to reveal a great secret. "You are dead!" He said in a delightful tone, as if he hadn't just told her that her life was over.

Kagome's eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she gaped at him for a few moments before looking back over the scenery. "So… this is heaven?"

That just made the man laugh even harder. Several minutes went by before he stopped laughing and shook his head. "No! Well, maybe! Who knows? Call it what you like, I highly doubt anyone will care."

The woman let out an exasperated sigh and looked at him quizzically. "What do you call it?"

The man suddenly became serious, smirking as he reached into his sleeve for something and nodding to himself as he pulled it out. "Home. What use are pointless names when there is no one to bother a claim on a place which cannot be reached other than by death? That isn't important. What is important is this." He held out the document he had procured and she took it with a curious gaze, staring down on it.

"What is it?"

"Ah… hm… let's call it…" Folding the fan with a snap, he tapped his chin with the end of it and smiled broadly. "A report card."

Kagome's expression turned sour. "What am I being graded on?" Her grades were never that good, mediocre at best.

The man raised an eyebrow, reminding her of someone she once knew – although she couldn't quite place it. "Your life, of course."

Her mouth fell open as she just stared at him for a few moments, frozen stiff with the realization that someone had been grading her very existence. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the news. She had failed her home economics course… what if she got a failing mark in life, too? It was almost too much to bear, but Kagome was anything but a coward and so, with trembling fingers, she opened the folded paper. It was blank.

At first she thought the man was playing a prank on her. Yet, when she looked up, she realized he was no longer there. Staring back down on the paper with confusion, she sighed for a few moments, only to pause and gasp, releasing the paper as ink began to swell out of it… red ink.

The paper fluttered to the ground and just like everything else in Kagome's life (afterlife?) something decided to go wrong and a gust of wind blew. She let out a squeak as the paper flew out and she raced over, reaching for the paper and giving off a cry as her fingertips barely brushed the document. Her eyes widened even more as she found herself falling. Catching the paper against her chest, she screamed as her body tumbled through the endless expanse of sky. Falling, falling, ever falling… she was kind of bored of falling now.

"Usually, individuals who reach this level aren't this clumsy. You must have done something exceptional in your life." The man's voice returned to her and she opened her eyes to realize she was hovering above the ground next to the large castle she had seen. He pursed his lips and reached out, snatching up the paper from her and staring down on it. "Typically, it is up to the deceased to read their final report, but seeing as you are struggling so badly, I will assist you."

Kagome frowned. "You remind me of someone I once knew. Who was that?" Her face contorted in thought as she tried to remember this person, only for her frown to deepen as she realized she couldn't remember anyone at all. She had little time to think on it as the man before her gasped, releasing her from her freefall as he gripped the document between both hands. Kagome fell to the ground, letting out a groan as she stood and rubbed at her sore body before standing with a huff.

"Quite exceptional. You have been given an assignment, optional, of course. You may take what is due to you, returning to the next level of life that you have earned, like any other – which in this case is… several levels higher than your last life – or, you can become a watcher. How interesting. I wonder what you did."

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

He smirked. "Of course you don't. No one ever does."

Kagome blinked and took the paper from him. "So what exactly is a watcher?"

"A being which watches over and guards, particularly of a specific soul – in this case the gods have deemed a particular soul to be a… troublemaker. They are the last of their kind, a kind that has been slowly cleansed and returned to the cycle of life, but this one has need of help. They would have to start at the lowest of levels, a pity for one that has done good deeds in their time, but they have not done enough. They need help."

She thought about it. "Like… what are they called… a… guardian angel?"

"Ones who come here are not normally so fixated on labeling everything. Ah well, in light of your accomplishments, yes… like a guardian angel. You are going, then?"

Kagome didn't even have to think. "Of course. If someone needs help, then we should help them if we can. I can, so I am going to."

The lights flickered. That would have been funny, if she hadn't just been standing in what was clearly an outdoor area with never-ending ambient lighting. Kagome blinked and cocked her head to one side as her brow furrowed. What did funny feel like again? She couldn't remember. The lights flickered once more and she realized she was standing in a small bathroom, if it could even be called that. Calling it a closet would have been generous. There was barely enough room for one person to stand in the space where there was a small toilet and a shower – no sink.

"I just replaced that bulb last week." An exasperated and oddly familiar voice said with a sigh as a man entered the tiny space, reaching up to tap at the bulb. Kagome gave a startled sound as she stepped back into the shower space, trying not to be trampled, only to realize when she pressed her back against the tiles there was something missing. Shouldn't it feel… cold?

Illumination filled the bathroom again and she turned suddenly to look at him, wondering if he was going to scream at her sudden appearance. He didn't scream. She, on the other hand, would have if she had any idea what fear felt like. Reaching up, she smacked at her face, trying to see if this was all some kind of weird dream. Nothing. She could feel nothing.

Her lip quivered as she stepped forward, staring as she watched him wash up and prepare for the day. He lathered his face with soap before splashing water on the all-too-familiar appearance. He was missing the markings that she felt so firmly he should have, her mind could recall the details of his personality and appearance with such intensity that she wondered if he had been someone important to her before… before… sometime before, she couldn't remember when. Reaching out, she waved a hand before his face, noting how he didn't respond.

Without fear, as she had no reason to concern herself, she boldly reached out to brush her fingers along his jawline, watching with mild curiosity as he shuddered and brought his hand up to rub at the skin before staring around in confusion.

"A draft?" He wondered.

She would have giggled, if she could find things funny. Instead she merely watched him, wondering why it was he of all souls that required her help. He didn't seem that bad. He shook off the momentary disruption and continued to dress, dabbing some cologne on before running a brush through his hair and pulling it into a low ponytail. Watching him as he stepped out of the bathroom, flipping the light off as he went, she wondered how she was supposed to help him do anything. He couldn't see her, could barely feel her (even when he did, she doubted he knew what he was sensing – a draft, really?), and probably couldn't hear her. As he finished the knot of his tie and pulled on a suit jacket over his powder blue button-up, she noted that she was unable to make out the scent he wore. With a small sigh, Kagome decided it was best to try a direct approach, he would appreciate that.

Test one, to see just how much he could respond to her presence. Could he even hear her? She knew he had exceptional hearing, but was he able to hear those who weren't mortal? There was only one way to find out.

"Sesshomaru?" Why did that name seem familiar?

No response as he gathered up his briefcase and keys, the jingling pulling her out of her thoughts. She realized she would need to perform other tests to find out the limit of her abilities. So far it seemed only touch was even marginally useful. Unfortunately, she was out of time as he opened the door to the tiny apartment and began to lock her within.

Her eyes widened and she walked over to the door, reaching out for it and smiling lightly as her hand went right through it. Stepping through the door, she paused for a moment, staring at the solid surface and down at herself, which appeared to her to be quite solid. Why hadn't that hurt a little? She expected it to feel at least a little odd, but there had been nothing. She was simply within the apartment and then she was not.

Turning, she noted that Sesshomaru had already left. His heavy footsteps could be heard as he went down the many flights of stairs from his floor to the ground level and she looked down, raising an eyebrow as she wondered how she might get to where he was without messing with all these stairs. It wasn't that she had anything against stairs, just that she had no idea where he might be going. Her problem was easily solved when she found that the more she concentrated on him, the closer to him she became. Eventually, she was standing right next to him on a platform, waiting for the train.

How odd for him to be taking a train full of humans. She would have thought he would own a fancy car, maybe even have a chauffeur. What did he do for a living, anyway? Head a business? She could see him as some sort of wealthy tycoon, controlling the fates of many and having more money than sense. That didn't explain the miniscule apartment, though. Maybe he was stingy with his money.

Following him into the train, she frowned as people stepped not only past her, but right through her, as if she wasn't even there. She had to remind herself that she wasn't, not technically. She was not living and she was not dead – a strange thought. Shifting closer to him, she eyed him as he ignored the people around him, holding a newspaper, folded in quarters, above their heads as he read it with relative ease. People bumped into him, young women brushed against him, men tried to avoid him, but for the most part he seemed to not care about their presence or their abuse of his personal space. When they finally reached his stop, he followed the crowd as it pushed out, but not before pausing to help an older woman who had tripped and lost her shoe. Kagome watched him as he checked the woman for injuries as he gently replaced her shoe and told her to be more careful. The woman blushed profusely and nodded, thanking him before leaving suddenly.

Sesshomaru seemed to think nothing of it, tucking his paper under his arm and continuing on with smooth, calculated steps towards his final destination. When they entered, Kagome was surprised to find that they were not in a corporate office, a bank, or a fancy hotel. Instead, they were in a hospital.

A short woman behind the counter, hair tied up in a tight bun, smiled at him and followed him as he passed, entering a small room behind the nurse's station which contained one bed – currently occupied – a microwave, a sink, one table with three chairs, and eight lockers. He opened one of them as the woman began. "Good morning, Mr. Fukuzawa, how was your evening?"

"Pleasant enough Kimiko, carry on." He replied, stuffing his newspaper and briefcase inside his locker as he pulled out the white coat and threw it on, popping open the briefcase and taking up a stethoscope, a few pens, a notebook, and a calculator, placing them all within his pockets with such practice that it was clear he had done this many times before.

Kimiko gave a nod, looking down at the files. "A few minor scrapes and bruises are waiting in the lobby. Six is occupied by a fourteen year old female who appears to have abdominal pain. Nine has a four year old male who will not stop screaming, presenting with a fever, loss of appetite, and previous history of a cold for the past three days. Also…" She shifted uncomfortably.

Kagome watched as Sesshomaru pulled out a large bag from his locker, pulling a large handful of suckers from within and putting them inside his left pocket before tossing the bag back inside and turning to the nurse. "Also…?" He queried.

The nurse sighed. "Also, Mrs. Watanabe is back. She's in eleven." She said in hushed tones.

Sesshomaru nodded, closing his locker. "I see. I'll handle it." The nurse seemed relived, handing over the files to him as he dismissed her and began his rounds. Kagome followed him, watching as he first went to six. She was surprised at how gentle he was, carefully examining the girl and questioning her and her mother, who had accompanied her. In the end, he had ordered her to undergo several tests and while he waited for those to be processed he went to exam room nine. His demeanor changed entirely from the previous patient, who he was calm, but firm with. In this case, he was almost playful, teasing the child into giving him the answers he sought before turning to his worried mother with a kind gaze to explain that her child had a mild ear infection. Sending the boy off with his mother, instructions, and a red sucker, Sesshomaru paused and sighed before turning to room eleven.

Kagome watched as he took a slow breath, seeming to count to ten before he pushed past the curtain with a wide smile. "Mrs. Watanabe, I hear you're causing trouble again."

The elderly woman gave a weak smile. "They just can't give me an answer like you can, Mr. Fukuzawa." She said, withering beneath his gaze. Her eyes were begging as she looked up at him and he sat across from her, flipping over her chart lazily. He raised an eyebrow.

"An answer to what?"

Kagome's eyes widened as the woman lifted up her shirt to expose her abdomen, where there was obviously a large gash within the stomach fat, not that the woman had much to begin with. Sesshomaru frowned and shook his head, setting the chart aside before standing and pulling on some exam gloves. "You shouldn't have done this."

The old woman shook her head. "Oh no, I didn't do this, I fell."

Sesshomaru stilled, giving the elderly woman an incredulous look before he pressed a few buttons on a cart and pulled out a few drawers, taking up the items he needed and sitting in front of the woman. He cleaned the wound in silence and Kagome noted that it wasn't very deep; she hoped that was a good sign. "I think you need to speak with someone from mental health, Mrs. Watanabe."

Both women were surprised. Mrs. Watanabe spoke up first, her eyes widening. "You think I'm crazy?"

Sesshomaru shook his head as he stitched up the wound. "I think you're depressed after the death of Mr. Watanabe. You have visited monthly, always on the same date, for the past five months."

The elderly woman's eyes teared up. "I didn't tell anyone that! How did you know?"

He shrugged, giving her a smirk. "An educated guess."

"I can't talk to someone about this, Mr. Fukuzawa. What will the neighbors say?"

"They don't have to know." He replied, finishing up the stitches and placing a large bandage over it, to make sure she didn't mess with them. He stood, pulling off his gloves and tossing them in the trash before he took up her chart and turned to her. "Come with me."

The woman's mouth fell open. "You're taking me there now?"

He nodded. "You won't go if I don't, will you?" He teased, raising an eyebrow and daring her to say otherwise. The old woman flushed and put her clothes in place before following him out the exam room and down the hall. Kagome followed them, wondering what he possibly had done in the past to require help. He seemed fine enough. If anything, he only appeared to be a little lonely.

Kagome followed him through his day, watching and wondering how he dealt with all the pain. Other than Mrs. Watanabe, he saw no other adult patients – it took her a few hours to realize he was a pediatrician. Granted, most of his cases were simple. A little medicine here, a few stitches there, a colorful bandage and a sucker and he would send them on their way to continue to get in more trouble and probably return to him in a few months.

Once in a while, there were the bad cases. Cases where Kagome found herself stepping in between Sesshomaru and his patient, placing a comforting hand on their tiny heads and watching with an impassive gaze as her cold touch drew the life out of them. His brow would furrow, dark brown eyes (a color she felt didn't suit him in the least) would glare at everything and nothing in particular as he sniffed and fought down a growl of frustration, attempting anything he could to save the child. It was always too late.

She followed him, watching as he would break the news to the parents – both were usually present by the time Kagome would act. Mother would fall into father, sobbing gently as father held her firmly and Sesshomaru stood beside them, clearly bothered at his inability to save another.

Part of her considered how he had found himself in such a career; it didn't suit what she knew of him. He should be an angry, struggling individual who had trouble doing good things for the world. Yet, his every day work was nothing short of a gift to society. What did he need her help for?

Her answer came when it was finally time for him to feed himself. He went into the cafeteria, ordering something healthy and from what she could tell, very bland, and sitting in the corner… alone. Kagome sat across from him, the chair squeaking slightly but not shifting much beneath her actions. Sesshomaru didn't look at her, pouring the dressing over his salad before mixing it up and then letting out a slow sigh.

"Why are you following me?"

Kagome blinked, staring around the room before looking at him with a small smile and resting her head on her hands. He couldn't possibly be talking to her. There was no way. Yet, there was no one else nearby and, since she had actually been following him, she knew no one else was.

He grumbled, taking up a bite and chewing it far too many times than she was certain was necessary, before swallowing down some of his filtered water and giving a sigh. "I don't know what you are, or where you came from, but you can go back. I'm not done here and I don't need your help."

Well, wasn't he a bowl of sunshine? How did he know, anyway?

Sesshomaru leveled his gaze on her, despite the fact that he was staring at absolutely nothing. If she was capable, Kagome might have felt uncomfortable, instead she just felt curious. How could he know she was here? Standing up slowly, she moved to sit next to him, noting that his gaze didn't move from the now completely empty chair. Still, when he spoke, it was very obvious that he was directing his comments to her. "Also, would you mind not killing my patients? They're only children."

Sympathy for the weak – what an unusual trait for someone labeled as a troublemaker.


	2. Chapter 2

He hadn't spoken to her since that first time, instead choosing to act as if he had not been talking to himself as he continued his rounds through the day. Kagome figured it was likely because the latter half of his day was rather mundane compared to the first. There was a kid who got a marble stuck in their nose, a broken arm, and other such simple remedies that she had no part in his dealings. She hadn't had to help him with a single patient for hours.

By the end of the day, which happened to be around ten hours later, she followed him as he put away his coat and gathered his things in his briefcase, only to go to the elevators and head to the upper floors. Curious and confused, she continued to tail him, watching as he went to the office of another doctor, knocking lightly and waiting until the door was closed behind him on the other side before turning to the older man with a wary look.

"Before you say anything, I think you should know that we are not entirely alone and I would rather not have my personal business aired out to someone I barely know." Sesshomaru stated, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to talk about invisible beings following him, as he sat in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. Kagome moved to stand behind him, wondering what sort of personal business this doctor would have. Was Sesshomaru ill? That seemed unlikely. He wasn't even human, human illnesses shouldn't affect him that easily.

Oh, sure, she knew he could get sick. He could even contract illnesses from humans, although the number of illnesses he could gain was limited. She waited for the elderly doctor to go into a long talk about how absolutely crazy it was to talk to beings which clearly were not there, but the man nodded with a small smile and set the paperwork he had been filling out aside before threading his fingers together atop his desk.

"How have you been, my friend?"

Sesshomaru frowned but shrugged. "Well enough. I knew things would progress faster than I anticipated, but even I am rather surprised at how quickly this is all going. The fact that they sent someone to keep an eye on me tells me there isn't much time left."

The elder doctor nodded again. "You could always try the methods I suggested during our last conversation."

"No." Sesshomaru declared, clearly upset.

The other man sighed slightly and nodded. "How do you know you are being followed?"

Sesshomaru looked around, seeking Kagome before giving up and returning his gaze to the other doctor. "It is hard to explain. Instincts tell me there is something there. Also, all of my most critical patients have died today."

At that, the elder man gave a chuckle and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh my, are you losing your touch?"

Kagome watched them interact, realizing that this was possibly Sesshomaru's one and only friend. It was somewhat strange to think of him as someone with a friend, although nothing that she knew of him should have told her that. While she knew of his life, she did not honestly know him in a personal sense, yet somehow she felt as if she knew that he was not one to make friends easily.

Whatever he wanted to discuss with this man was likely important. Deciding she could give him this, she reached forward, brushing her fingers along his cheek and watching passively as he started. Pointedly, she drew her fingers towards the door before releasing him and walking to the hallway. When she leaned against a corkboard across the hall, some of the papers pinned to it fluttered. She paid them no mind, looking up to see that Sesshomaru's brown gaze was staring directly at her.

Once more, she felt as if he could see her and that strange emptiness filled her, despite an odd desire to want to flee. Tearing her gaze from him, she looked down the hall, watching as doctors and nurses walked by.

Sesshomaru stood and closed the door, effectively muffling her ability to hear what they were saying. It was several more minutes before he returned. So long that she had begun to zone out on the repetitive sounds of the hospital to the point where when he stopped before her and muttered a soft "thank you" she nearly jumped.

Reaching up once more, she took his hand instead, noting that he could only sense her through direct physical contact. Strangely, his fingers clenched around hers, as if he were seeking comfort – despite it being weird that he would do such a thing from an invisible being that nobody believed existed. Just the same, Kagome was more surprised at the lingering sensation she could feel emanating through her hand.

Was this warmth?

She couldn't recall. She didn't have time to figure it out, either, as Sesshomaru released her as quickly as he grasped her before turning to return to the elevator. She followed him, watching as he continued to walk on down the road, not returning to the train station as she had expected. Instead, he walked along sidewalks and down alleyways, clearly making his way towards a familiar destination.

When they reached the building, Kagome was surprised to find that they were going into a clearly labeled orphanage. Sesshomaru walked in as if he went there every day. She wondered if he did. An elderly woman with short gray curls smiled and greeted him as she walked through a hall with arms full of laundry. He stepped over to her and took it up, immediately heading towards the laundry with the items. "Thank you, Kohei!" The woman said with a laugh as she followed him.

He nodded. "It's no problem, Natsuki." He said as he sat the heavy load before the washer and turned to face the elder woman. Kagome had stopped somewhere in the hallway, surprised at the name _iKohei/i_. It didn't suit him at all, wasn't even his name… so why was she calling him that and why did he respond?

Sesshomaru, as if he sensed Kagome's distress, went out into the hallway and returned the way he came, causing her to startle and follow him. Leaving the elder woman to the laundry as he went through a few rooms before entering what appeared to be a kitchen. She watched as he took up a red apron, tossing it over his head and tying it about his waist before he opened the small fridge, pulling out items and setting them about on the counter top.

She was surprised to watch him as he cooked, not minding when a small child of about four ran in, taking up some of the vegetables and stuffing them into his chubby mouth with a wide grin before running off. In fact, Sesshomaru seemed amused, even though he apparently lacked the ability to express himself outwardly. It was in his eyes, the way they sparked to life and looked genuinely happy.

Many minutes went by and Kagome watched as he expertly prepared a large meal, setting each dish aside before working on the next. By the time he was finished and began cleaning up from his preparations, Natsuki returned, closing her eyes and sniffing the air appreciatively. "It always smells so delicious when you cook, Kohei!"

Sesshomaru didn't seem affected by her praise, nodding as he went about in completing his task while the elder woman took the food to a nearby table and began putting out place settings. Once his mess was cleaned up, she watched as Sesshomaru reached into his pocket and pulled out a large wad of bills. Natsuki's eyes narrowed as he did this, letting out a sigh as he held it out to her.

"You should at least stay and eat with the children. They adore you so much, Kohei. You really do too much for us, as it is, can't you at least have a meal?"

Kagome watched as Sesshomaru reached out and took Natsuki's hand, stuffing the money into her open palm before closing her fingers around it. "We have discussed this before, Natsuki. I cannot become attached to the children. It would be unfair to them."

The old woman's eyes took on a sad look and she shook her head, drawing her arms around her, but not releasing the money as she did so. "I worry about you, Kohei. You are going to work yourself into an early grave, and be alone while you do it."

Sesshomaru smirked slightly, removing the apron and hanging it on the usual hook before giving a casual shrug. "I assure you, Natsuki, when death comes for me it will be anything but early." Tugging on his outer coat, he waved over his shoulder, ducking to the side in the hallway as several children pushed past him to eat the meal he prepared.

Kagome followed him, wondering why he chose to distance himself. He was clearly trying to do the right thing, providing for so many of the city's children – so why was he labeled as a troublemaker? What had he done that had been so terrible? Running up alongside him, she reached out to take his hand and let him know that she approved of his actions, even if she didn't understand his desire to remain a loner.

He pulled his hand away with a low growl, eyes narrowing sharply and honing in on her in a way that startled her at how familiar it was. Turning away from her angrily, he scowled and stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. "I don't expect you to understand and I don't require your approval, either. You should just give up. I won't be leaving anytime soon. There is too much work to be done."

Her eyes widened at that. So the problem was not his behavior in his life, he had done enough to balance that out, but the fact that he was stubbornly clinging to life? If she had the ability to, she would have laughed at how like him that was. This thought made her pause mid-step as she realized that her knowledge of Sesshomaru was more than what had been given to her when she arrived on this assignment. Looking up to watch as he continued to stomp through the streets, a disgruntled expression on his face, she suddenly understood that she i_knew/i_ him. Or, at least, she had known him – when she was alive.

She found that peculiar. Had they chosen her specifically because she knew of him before? How did they know each other, anyway? She was glad for her budding curiosity, as it was the only remaining emotion she had, but the fact that she was so curious without any driving force behind it was beginning to become troublesome. Knowing that she had at least been an acquaintance of his was great and all, but what did she intend to do with that information?

Sesshomaru stopped, several yards away, and she looked up when he spoke very clearly. "Are you coming or not?"

Kagome blinked. He was becoming very good at that. Could he sense her? His senses were very strong, much stronger than a human of course, but she didn't know he could see spirits. That wasn't a very typical youkai trait. After all, they were supposed to be as far removed from the gods as possible, weren't they? Something in her told her that wasn't quite true.

Deciding it didn't matter; she ran up to him and waited for him to continue on towards his destination. Instead, he seemed to keep waiting on her. Apparently his senses were hit or miss. Reaching out, she brushed her fingers against his cheeks, along where she knew markings should be present as a sign of his heritage.

His eyes closed and his hands balled into fists as his jaw clenched for a few moments before he looked directly at her, although she doubted he could see her. "Pleash stop. Don't do that anymore."

Her eyes widened. Did he just slur?

Sesshomaru didn't wait for her to respond; appearing quite aggravated at his error enough for both of them as he turned away and began to march down the street. Kagome followed diligently, watching as he made quick steps through the streets before returning once again to the train where he rode in silence, this time slumping into a seat with a pathetic expression of emptiness in his eyes.

Oh sure, he was never really that expressive. In fact, from what she knew of him, he was practically a rock. Yet, this look that he gave was so disheartening that the cloud of remorse that hovered around him filled the train car and caused the others within to instinctively stay some distance away from him.

Kagome knelt down, listening to the sound of the train ticking along its track as she looked up into Sesshomaru's hopeless and dull brown gaze. Taking a slow breath, despite not needing one, she was surprised to find the first spark of a new and true emotion glimmer within her chest.

Sympathy.

Leaning in, she rested her head on his lap. Despite knowing that he wouldn't appreciate the contact, she couldn't help herself. The sensation of this unbidden emotion was so intense that she was finding herself caught in his wave of sadness. Even if he didn't want her nearby, if he didn't want her to touch him… she needed him to comfort her.

He was all she had.

Sesshomaru's brow furrowed and he stiffened the moment her head fell upon his lap. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable by her being so close, although he shouldn't have even known she was there. He was pretty good a defying expectations, she thought with a sad smile. Despite his clear discomfort at her abuse of his person, he did nothing to remove her.

He could have stood, could have told her to move, could have done any number of things that she would be powerless to stop. Yet he did none of these.

It was almost as if he, too, understood the utter tragic state he was in and how her mere presence was only another piece of that. Perhaps he did. That only served to make her even more bothered as her heart opened up in painful rips, pouring out her understanding. She recognized his pain, she could almost taste it, almost feel it brushing up against her fingertips like some magical aura rising up from within his soul and pouring out around them.

While everyone else was afraid to even look at him when in this state, she embraced him. Not because it was her duty. Nor because he liked her. No other reason, than they were the same. Two lonely individuals who had given up so much for the sake of others – only to receive no comfort in return.

Kagome sniffed, eyes opening to look out at the passengers of the train. Her gaze met with a little girl several seats down, her long dark hair tied in pigtails. She had a little cherub face, round and white and dotted with the kiss of life, blossoming beneath her chubby cheeks in a rouge hue. When the girl shifted and stepped away from her mother to walk towards Sesshomaru, Kagome's eyes widened when she noticed him growling lightly.

That was not the most surprising epiphany to hit her, however. The fact was that the child was not moving towards nor looking at him – but i_her/i_. Stiffening, Kagome reached up to grasp the lapels of Sesshomaru's worn out brown coat, pulling herself up alongside him to where she was seated beside him opposite of the child.

Instead of being afraid, the little girl sidled up next to Sesshomaru and grinned, a wide toothy grin with a small gap where one of her teeth had fallen out. Kagome watched as Sesshomaru growled again, scooting away from the child slightly as he did so. Her eyes widened and she let out a small squeak as she moved back, trying her best not to end up with him sitting atop her (within her?) but both she and her companion stilled immediately when the child's pudgy hand reached out and set on Sesshomaru's larger one.

His eyes widened slightly, nostrils flaring as the warmth of the little girl's hand seeped through his skin, sending familiar chills down his spine as he found himself captivated by her wide, brown stare.

"You're lucky!" Her high pitched voice rang out. A few of the other passengers eyed the scene warily, as if to say the child was clearly delusional. Her mother continued to read her book, ignorant to the amount of danger her child was in.

Kagome let out a gasp as she was inundated by a series of emotions, flooding out and bubbling up within her before overflowing and filling the entire train car. The startling part was the understanding that these emotions were not hers – but his. Somehow, she was receiving his emotions, as if they were linked through some invisible wire.

First came pain, quickly followed by remorse, regret, and an unending sense of complete and utter helplessness. These horrible feelings washed through her quickly, as if they took mere seconds to process. After these, his next feelings were curiosity, self-loathing, loneliness, and the heaviness of grief.

To his credit, Sesshomaru showed little of this, instead his brow furrowed and he stared down at the tiny girl with what appeared to be an angry expression. Kagome now knew this was not because he was truly mad, but because he had no way to show his true feelings towards the child. "What do you mean?" He wondered aloud.

The little girl then pointed directly at Kagome. "You have a fairy!" At this, the little girl hopped off the molded seat of the train and ran over to where her mother sat, still reading her book intently, before pulling up her backpack and bringing it over to set it next to where Sesshomaru sat. She tugged at the zipper slowly, before finally withdrawing a small red book and turning the cover to where he could see it, proudly displaying it before him. "See? I read about her in my book!"

There, across the cover, was a small wooden marionette, looking sad and lonely, and a beautiful woman with turquoise hair standing over him, staring down upon him with an expression of understanding.

Sesshomaru let out a small sigh and shook his head. "This is no fairy, girl."

The child gave him an incredulous look before climbing up on the seat next to him and opening the book. Kagome leaned over his shoulder to watch as the girl opened to a specific page and began to read aloud.

_i""If only I had breath to reach that house," he said to himself, "perhaps I should be saved."_

_And, without delaying an instant, he recommenced running for his life through the wood, and the assassins after him._

_At last, after a desperate race of nearly two hours, he arrived quite breathless at the door of the house, and knocked._

_No one answered._

_He knocked again with great violence, for he heard the sound of steps approaching him and the heavy panting of his persecutors. The same silence._

_Seeing that knocking was useless, he began in desperation to kick and pommel the door with all his might. The window then opened and a beautiful Child appeared at it. She had blue hair and a face as white as a waxen image; her eyes were closed and her hands were crossed on her breast. Without moving her lips in the least, she said, in a voice that seemed to come from the other world:_

_"In this house there is no one. They are all dead."_

_"Then at least open the door for me yourself," shouted Pinocchio, crying and imploring._

_"I am dead also."_

_"Dead? Then what are you doing there at the window?"_

_"I am waiting for the bier to come to carry me away."_

_Having said this she immediately disappeared and the window was closed again without the slightest noise."/i_

Sesshomaru frowned. This was a rather morbid book for a child to be reading. The girl looked up at him, as if all answers had been revealed. "That is the fairy! Isn't she tricky? I wonder what you did to need her help. You must be lying a lot. That is what the puppet in the story does."

At this, Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow and gave the girl a withered look, ready to announce that he was not a liar and had done nothing more than exist in order to be granted Kagome's presence. However, he was unable to do this as the train slid to a halt, an announcement of the stop coming out over the intercom. The once reluctant caregiver now stood and hurried over to her daughter, grasping up the backpack and taking her child by the wrist before drawing her away.

The girl waved with her hand which still held the book, her wide toothy grin growing even more before she called out to Sesshomaru. "Listen to the fairy and you can be a real boy!"

Sesshomaru's brow furrowed and he suddenly spun around to look Kagome directly in the face. He clearly could not actually see her, but he was getting better at knowing where she was. Gritting his teeth, he growled low and ground out angry words. "Back off, i_fairy/i_."

Kagome flushed and did as told, pulling away from him and noting the sudden loss of emotions the moment her touch left his. Curious to know what that might mean, she knew it would be better to test it later. If Sesshomaru's mood was poor before, it was horrendous now.

She followed him as he stomped off the train at the next stop. People parted before him, sensing his discomfort and his enormous aura as he angrily made his way towards his apartment before opening the door and slamming it in Kagome's face.

With a shake of her head, she once again stepped through the door, finding herself standing in his single room. He went over to the toilet and took up the bowl of water that he had set atop it to wash himself that morning before dumping it within and turning to the kitchen. Setting the bowl down on his tiny countertop, she watched as he proceeded to toss his coat and suitcase on his table before rolling his sleeves up and washing out the bowl.

Once the bowl was rinsed, he set it aside to dry and opened a small cabinet beneath the sink to reveal a case of noodle cups. Kagome's eyes widened as she watched him pull out one of the noodle cups before turning to a small single burner next to the sink and lighting it. Atop the burner sat a kettle, which he pulled off and filled with water before replacing it and turning, only to pause and stare where she was.

"You still insist on following me? I have told you that I don't need your help and I'm not leaving yet."

Kagome stared at him for a few long moments of silence until the kettle whistled, causing him to turn away from her and prepare his noodles. She frowned and watched as he sat in the single, rather uncomfortable chair in the room and waited for his noodles to finish before pulling off the paper top and stuffing some in his mouth.

She stomped over to him then, reaching out and pinching at the back of his neck. His eyes widened and he spit out some of the noodles, coughing heavily as he turned to look at her as if she was crazy. Perhaps she was. She didn't know what came over her. One moment, she was staring at him emotionlessly, the next she was so angry with him and an oddly familiar feeling rushed through her as she felt the need to assault him.

Licking her lips, she reached up to rub at the back of her neck before apologizing. "I'm sorry."

Sesshomaru dropped the chopsticks, eyes widening. "You're what?"

Kagome stilled, staring at him. Did he hear her? "Sorry, I said I was sorry."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "I can hear you." Turning away from her, he bent down to lift his chopsticks from his table before stuffing them back into the Styrofoam cup and swirling what remained of his dinner around in thought. "You are not forgiven." Was his sullen reply as he continued to eat.

She shook her head, leaning against the wall near the door and watching him as he ate. For some reason, the fact that he didn't forgive her was actually comforting. Hand coming up to her mouth, she realized that she had just experienced her third true emotion since arriving in his presence. She wondered if this was how it was supposed to be. It wasn't like they gave her an instruction manual.

"Do you always eat alone?" She asked, more to break the silence than out of true curiosity. Something told her that she already knew the answer.

"Until recently." He responded, words clipped.

"Why don't you eat with the orphans?" This, she was genuinely wondering.

Sesshomaru let out a heavy sigh, his hands coming to rest beside the cup before him, chopsticks lazily tapping the side. "Their mayfly mortality only serves to remind me of my greatest failure."

* * *

The excerpt from The Adventures of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi was taken in whole and without alteration. This piece is used under fair use.


	3. Chapter 3

Kagome didn't say anything in response to that. What could she say? It was obvious that whatever had happened disrupted his life greatly. Once again, her growing sympathy bubbled up within her as she watched him clean up from his meal before he sighed and turned to express that he intended to shower and would rather not have an audience.

Exiting the apartment, she stood out in the hall, wondering just what was happening here and why Sesshomaru even needed her help in the first place. While he seemed to be distant and lonely, that didn't appear to be any different than what she knew of his life. "I wish I knew if I was doing this right…" She mused aloud to no one in particular.

"That is debatable."

Kagome spun around in surprise, staring at the very gentleman that had sent her here in the first place. He stood before here, a bland expression on his face, but his eyes gave way to his emotions and showed how very disappointed he was. "What do you mean?" She wondered.

He sighed and shook his head, pulling his fan from within his sleeve before flipping it open and fanning himself as he tried to come up with the best response. "We seem to have made an error."

Kagome blinked, not believing that even the gods could make errors. "What?"

"It was our understanding that you had little to do with the subject in your previous life, having wed and bore many children for his loathed younger half-brother, you seemed to have minimal interaction. Yet, for some reason, you are responding as if you had an intense emotional bond."

Kagome's eyes widened and her lower lip dropped open as she tried to take in all this new information. She had married Sesshomaru's half-brother? Why couldn't she remember any of that? Suddenly, the image of a brash hanyou surfaced in her mind, causing a painful stab within her chest. Reaching up with her hand she pressed against her chest, shaking her head as tears began to well in her eyes. "InuYasha…" She muttered, the only word she could manage to bring out as a torrential wave of emotions washed over her. Love, loss, regret…

"You shouldn't be experiencing emotions – or memories." The man said, shaking his head once more before he reached out to grasp her chin gently, lifting so that her shocked face could look at him. "We can take this pain away; you will return and be sent on to your next life."

Kagome's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No!" She didn't want that. She couldn't do that. She had promised she would do this. More importantly… she pulled away from the surprised man, shaking her head even more intensely as she did so. "I can't leave him."

With that whisper, she pushed back, throwing herself through the door to the apartment as if that act would somehow guard her from the very gods and their decisions on her afterlife. Surprisingly, she found herself in Sesshomaru's darkened and quiet single room with the sound of nothing but his even breathing filling her ears. She wasn't sure what she expected. She had never been overly religious in her life, had not even considered what the afterlife might be like or if there was one or many gods. Even now she didn't have the answer to any of those questions as she wasn't entirely positive that she could trust that fellow who kept appearing before her.

Several minutes went by where she merely stood in the middle of the darkened room, clutching her chest as she tried to make sense of everything. After several long moments of getting nowhere fast, Kagome sat on the floor and cradled her head in her hands, focusing on trying to calm down. Her eyes slid close as she listened to the rhythmic breathing coming from the sleeping Sesshomaru.

With a final, angry sigh, she figured herself calm enough to go through this piece by piece. What did she know? She knew that she had been married to InuYasha – Sesshomaru's younger half-brother. They had five children together. Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember their names.

Chiyoko… that had been their first born, a beautiful and spunky girl with deep ebony hair and bright green eyes, she had taken after her father in personality. Then came Masako, who looked and behaved very much like Kagome's mother and surprised everyone with her quite human ears. Suzume was next, a lovely young woman who embodied the royal lineage she carried in every delicate step she took. After them came the twins, Tsubaki and Umeko, who couldn't be more different for a matched pair. One looked just like her mother, the other just like her father.

Kagome gave a small smile at the memory of them; they were her life for so many years – particularly after their father left. Her brow furrowed when this thought came to her. When had he left her? Why? They were happy, weren't they? Her memories were still foggy, and she couldn't seem to remember everything in much detail.

"Do you mind? Your incessant sobbing is becoming rather annoying."

She blinked and looked up to see Sesshomaru staring at her with a deadpan look. It was in that moment that she realized that she had been crying, rather loudly, for some time now. Reaching up to wipe at her face, noting how he still couldn't see her as evidenced by the fact that he did not seem to notice her movements, she sniffed and rolled her eyes. "Well excuse me for bothering your beauty sleep, princess!" She muttered, crossing her arms with a scowl.

Sesshomaru stiffened and his eyes widened slightly before he pulled back, looking as if he was going deep in thought as his brow furrowed. At once, his gaze narrowed on her and his voice took on an edgy tone. "Kagome?"

The girl gasped, looking at him and feeling like he could actually see her for the first time. "Yes?" She squeaked out, not sure if he really could see her or not.

His shoulders slumped and his head fell forward, hair curtaining around his face as he let out a heavy sigh – a habit he was frequenting now in her presence. "It would be you that haunts me till death." He muttered, turning away from her to angrily punch his pillow into submission, forgetting the fact that it was quite content to be his.

Kagome frowned, bringing a hand up to point at him accusingly. "What do you mean by that?"

The youkai before her (still quite disguised as a man) shook his head and turned to look at her warily. "You do not remember anything, do you?"

Silence fell between them as his question that was more like a statement hung in the air. "I remember a little. It comes slowly."

Sesshomaru reached up, rubbing at his forehead with his dulled fingertips, looking for all the world as old as he actually was for once. After a few moments of consideration, he apparently decided it was worthwhile to discover just how much she knew. "Tell me what you remember."

Part of her felt as if she might not have divulged this information to him, but the wary and pleading tone in his request tugged at her and drew the words out before she could question it any further. "I remember that we knew one another, when I was still alive. Also, that I was married to InuYasha and had five children with him." She fell silent and let out a sad sigh as she brought her arms up to hug herself, willing herself to not feel upset once more. "I also remember that he left us, although I have no idea why."

He nodded at this, seemingly pleased by what she had revealed. "This is all you remember?"

Kagome frowned and looked up at him, now feeling wary. "Why?"

Sesshomaru shook his head lightly and looked to the clock, noting that it was far too early in the morning to be awake but far too late for him to attempt sleep once more. Sitting up even more, he took up his pillow and braced it against the wall before resting against it. He looked towards Kagome with an expression that worried her, almost as if he was setting himself up for something uncomfortable.

"InuYasha was an idiot. I said this for many years, but you and others like you ignored that warning and chose to believe in him, in his goodness, in his spirit – whatever you chose to delude yourselves, you grasped at it with such intensity that it would have taken some sort of extreme measure to get you to see sense. In your case, you were so foolishly devoted to him that you ignored his behavior with the undead priestess, his treatment of you, and even your own family and time to remain by his side. Ever devoted, you married him and did indeed bare him five daughters." His lip twitched into a minimal smile at this, as if the notion that InuYasha would only have daughters was amusing to him.

"It was not until you began to significantly age that there was a problem. When you began to gray, slow, and your memory started to fade – InuYasha sought greener pastures. At this point you had attained your seventy-third year of life, and while you were not as frail as other humans of the time, who would have passed long before that age, you were clearly dying. InuYasha, on the other hand, had only aged to that of a young adult human, about twenty-five, by that point. He was as immature as ever, and was terrified of watching your death. He had only witnessed his first lover's death by way of her second passing, which was not of old age. In fact, he had never actually remained by any being's side to witness the aging process."

Kagome reached up to cover her face at this, knowing that what he said was true but not liking how her chest felt as if it might burst open at any moment. Her eyes widened at a sudden realization and she looked up at Sesshomaru curiously. "Is that what you meant about the orphans? Are you also afraid of watching those around you die?"

"Are we talking about you or me?" Sesshomaru expertly skirted the issue before giving a distant and wistful look. "I do not fear their deaths. If anything, I hope for it far more than I should. I have witnessed the suffering and pain that humans endure in their short and difficult lives and have often hoped to find a way to ease that, in order to allow the aging process to continue. You humans have such miniscule time here, why should that be shortened by any means than a natural death?"

"So that is why you became a doctor?"

He shook his head slightly. "Not exactly. I became a doctor because it was the natural way to repent for my failure. It is the same reason for my charitable acts in regards to the orphans. I also donate a large sum of money towards local schools and other organizations for the betterment of children."

"Why only children? What did you do that was so awful? This… failure… what was it?"

Sesshomaru's expression fell into one of emptiness at this. "I lived on, while she died."

Kagome frowned; brow furrowing as she tried to grasp at memories, tugging at whatever she could to pull out the needed information. Suddenly, a round face with a wide grin and deep brown eyes appeared. "Rin?"

As if he had been struck down by some great force, Sesshomaru looked to her and for a moment she saw not the brown of his humanoid mask, but golden depths that cried out in pain. "The last words she ever spoke to me were: "I hate you."" He said, each syllable loaded with a horrible pain and longing.

"That doesn't sound like Rin. Why would she say something like that?"

Staring down at his hands in his lap, for the first time Sesshomaru looked broken and afraid. "I had given her the illusion of immortality. She thought that if she remained by my side, I would grow to love her as she did me – as a lover. I never did. She was always more than that for me. To me, she was my savior, the one who brought me out of the lonely darkness that my life had fallen into after my father's death."

He licked his dry lips, still not looking at her, but his eyes wavered with intense emotions as he spoke, possibly for the first time since Rin's death, of his presumed failure. "She realized that I would live on, not just a mere few years – but centuries – beyond her tiny lifespan. Meanwhile, she would grow old, frail, and die. She was afraid that once she became elderly, I would no longer wish to have her at my side. She began to push for a mating. I'm not sure why or when, but she had deluded herself to think that if I were to mate with a human they could live forever."

Kagome blinked, she seemed to remember something similar. "Don't some mates share life spans?"

Sesshomaru sighed. "Some, yes, although sharing a life is not anywhere near forever – and this only rarely happens as it is a sign of a true compatible bond. This is why you did not outlive InuYasha. Your bond, while based on affection, was mostly superficial on his part. So, you see, even if I had lowered myself to bed Rin, she would have never received such a gift. I did not love her in that way."

"Why couldn't you just tell her this? I don't understand why she would say she hated you. She was not unreasonable."

"You are remembering more." He nodded at this and crossed his arms, expression becoming less hurt and more sorrowful. "You are also correct. I did inform her of this and at first, she was accepting. However, something – or to be more specific – someone changed."

"Someone changed?" Kagome asked, now quite curious.

He had an incredulous look on his face before looking towards the ceiling as if to ask why he had to suffer through this. "When InuYasha abandoned you and your children, only the first two were remotely capable of fending for themselves in the harsh human culture that reviled hanyou with nearly the same intensity as full bred youkai. You arrived on my doorstep, so to speak, five daughters in tow, to beg for my assistance in protecting and guiding them after your death."

Kagome stilled, trying to recall this. "I don't remember that."

"You wouldn't." He said sarcastically with a bite that implied he found it more ironic and funny than insulting. Closing his eyes, he rested his head against the wall, taking a slow breath before continuing. "It was I who changed. After you moved into the ancestral home, the whole palace – which had fallen into a dull and monotonous sleep – seemed to be thrown into disarray. My mother fought against you with such vigor that I had not seen in her for centuries. The maids all loved you, but also were quite perplexed by you as you refused to allow them to do their jobs, insisting you were perfectly capable. You were unlike any female that any of us had ever seen – human or youkai. You could read, perform arithmetic, and were a practiced archer by that point. Ironically, you could do none of the things expected of a lady."

She scoffed at this, crossing her own arms in defiance. "No one expects those things of girls these days."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at that, but did not move otherwise. "How true. Then again, we did not learn of your birth until well after your death. It was actually InuYasha who informed Rin, who in turn used it as ammunition against you."

"Against me? Why?"

"You were her rival."

Kagome just stared at him, dumbfounded. Rival? In wha- oh. That was silly. At that moment, she felt yet another lost emotion return to her. Humor. Laughter bubbled up within her and she shook her head at the utter ridiculousness of it all.

Sesshomaru frowned and looked towards her, eyes glinting with a firm disappointment. "I fail to see what is amusing."

At this, she began to laugh even harder. "It's just so silly, for her to think that about… well about us."

He raised an eyebrow at her, voice sharp and clear as it broke through the tiny room and cut into her laughter like a blade. "Is it that unbelievable?"

Kagome sobered immediately, hiccupping on a final laugh and sputtering out into coughing as she looked at him with wide and worried eyes. "What?!" Sesshomaru merely stared at her, his expression not changing to give her any hint at if he might be telling the truth or was teasing her. Then again, while he had loosened up greatly she still didn't see him as one who would behave like that. Sesshomaru told the truth. Brow furrowing in confusion, she looked to him now worried that she might have forgotten something important between them. "Did we…?" She trailed off, unable to finish.

"We did not."

Kagome blinked and stared at him uncertainly. "So, this is the first time you are telling me of this?"

"It is."

Silence fell between them as she took in that statement. Part of her was still rather confused, though. What exactly was he saying? "So… you?" She couldn't bring herself to properly articulate what she meant to ask, but fortunately for her he seemed rather adept at gathering up words she'd failed to utter.

Sesshomaru looked to her, once again with a gaze so intense that she was certain he could see her, even though he likely couldn't. For a moment, she forgot the seriousness of their conversation and waved her hands in front of him to test if he really could see her or not. Clearly not, as he didn't seem to notice her odd behavior and continued on, obviously unhappy about having to reveal this now, but clearly having come to terms with it long ago. "I did. It was I who changed. I grew to love you in a way that can only be defined as lovers. You were able to see the world in a way that I had never even considered, and when you showed that world to me, I was completely captivated. This was not immediate, of course. I fought it thoroughly and never did muster up the courage to tell you how I felt. By the time I did, you had already taken your last breath."

Kagome's eyes widened and she swallowed down a strange lump in her throat. Sesshomaru had fallen in love with her. How completely strange, and yet… comforting? If he was even remotely like he was now, she could see herself loving him, too. "Why did you never say anything?"

Sesshomaru looked away at this, seeming to think it over some as if he had never actually considered it. "Part of it was your humanity. I still held many of the same beliefs as other youkai did about humans at the time. It would be many years later, after your death and Rin's that it would hit me how very idiotic we all were. Unfortunately, it was far too late. Mostly, it was because you had already aged so much. Your body was frail by the time you came to live in my home, your mind was slowly becoming less clear, and your heart was full of the sadness from InuYasha's betrayal. Even if I had gone to you, if I had somehow persuaded you to be with me – I would have merely doomed you to a life of pain."

"You mean…" She wondered breathlessly, unsure if he was saying what it seemed like he might be.

"I do believe that we had a true companionship. Our bond would have lasted. Because of this, however, I could not impose such suffering on you. It was not right. You deserved peace."

Kagome looked away from him then, her eyes shifting in the darkness as she tried to put it all together. In that moment, the faint voice that had been calling her at her death returned to her. "It was you, wasn't it? The one who called me when I passed away."

Sesshomaru did not answer this. He did not have to. They both knew the answer in that moment. His alarm broke through the silence, causing him to turn and shut it off before standing. Kagome turned to look at him, only for her eyes to widen in surprise as it seemed that his left leg was not cooperative and he stumbled forward, falling into the bed. She rushed to his side, bringing her hands up to brace his shoulders, despite how useless that was. If he were to fall any further, he would simply pass right through her.

"Are you alright?" She asked, worried.

He gave a hiss and remained where he was, braced on either arm as he closed his eyes. His pain was obviously something he did not wish to discuss. Slowly, he began to lift himself and stood, going to get the bowl from earlier and filling it with water before turning to his small wash area to wash his face. Kagome watched him go about his morning routine in silence. He dressed inside the small shower, not wanting to send her out, and when he emerged in a white button up and a yellow tie with brown slacks she sighed. He looked so very different in his human form, and yet… the same.

As he gathered up his briefcase and coat, shrugging it on, she stood and looked to him, suddenly wondering something that had not been answered. "Sesshomaru?"

"Yes?" He answered, not looking to her.

"Did I love you, too?"

Sesshomaru stilled, keys in hand, positioned at the door and ready to leave. "I wouldn't know." It was all he could manage to say, apparently, as he opened the door and closed it quietly, marching down the hall and on towards work.

Kagome stood there in the darkened room, staring at where he had once stood. He didn't know. She didn't either. Still, it was a worthwhile question to ask. Perhaps, soon, she might have the answer.


End file.
